Becton, Dickinson and Company is suing Retractable Technologies, claiming that its patents on needles that protect healthcare workers from accidental puncture wounds are being infringed.
The medical device manufacturer is seeking compensation and a court order barring Retractable from using the technology.
Celera has entered into a research collaboration with Merck to develop pharmacogenomic tests for cancer patients using gene expression profiles identified by Merck.
The tests will be used to develop diagnostic predictors for use in Merck's clinical trials and will potentially form the basis for commercial companion diagnostic tests for oncology therapies.
"This collaboration with Merck is a strong validation of Celera's diagnostic expertise in targeted medicine and our development capabilities," said Dr Thomas White, chief scientific officer at Celera.
"The potential outcomes from this collaboration could lead to the development of tests that may improve individualised therapy for the treatment of cancer."
Indivumed will support Roche Diagnostics with immuno-histochemistry services and clinical specimens for biomarker and drug discovery development. Indivumed will provide a selection of tumour tissue sections from its biobank to enable Roche to efficiently develop novel targeted cancer therapies.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced an agreement to distribute Edax' Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) systems used for analysing crystal orientations in a microanalysis sample.
The EBSD system features Edax' Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) and its rapid data acquisition rates make it an effective analytical method for both research and production environments.
"Edax is pleased to provide Thermo Scientific users with the opportunity to extend their analytical capabilities to include structural analysis with the market-leading OIM EBSD system," said Del Redfern, Edax' product marketing manager.
Third Rock Ventures has launched a $378m (€272m) fund to invest in life science companies at the early stage of formation.
The team is looking to aid innovative biotech and medical device companies grow to respond to the growing demand for innovation by industry, research institutions and patients.
"Our goal is to be the preferred partner for entrepreneurs, as our team offers them our deep industry knowledge, our strong network, and our passion for launching market-leading life sciences companies," said Mark Levin, partner of Third Rock Ventures.
Vermillion has regained compliance with the Nasdaq Marketplace rule 4310(c)(3) after the value of its common stock achieved a market value of over $35m for a period of 10 consecutive business days.
However, the company is still in breach of rule 4310(c)(4) which requires that the minimum bid price for common stock is at least $1 for 10 consecutive days. Vermillion has until March 4, 2008 to regain compliance.
Waters and Lambda have announced a cooperative agreement that provides Waters' analytical equipment to Lambda and its clients.
"This agreement positions Lambda and our clients for international success on scientific and business levels," said AK Dasgupta, director for Lambda Therapeutic Research.
"Lambda's mission is to enhance research quality by continuously upgrading techniques and procedures that ensure scientific validity of all research projects. Waters' product lines and strategic vision for laboratory-driven companies makes them a perfect partner for Lambda."
